Authorization providers

WebSphere Application Server supports authorization that is based on the Java Authorization Contract for Containers (JACC) specification in addition to the default authorization.

JACC is a specification introduced in Java™ Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE)1.4. It enables third-party security providers to manage authorization in the application server.

Note: For WebSphere Application Server for z/OS®, if SAF- based authorization is implemented, the implementation at this point does not use or implement the JACC Policy provider interface.

When security is enabled in WebSphere Application Server, the default authorization is used unless a JACC provider is specified. The default authorization does not require special setup, and the default authorization engine makes all of the authorization decisions. However, if a JACC provider is configured and set up for WebSphere Application Server to use, all of the enterprise beans and web authorization decisions are delegated to the JACC provider.

WebSphere Application Server supports security for Java EE applications and also for its administrative components. Java EE applications, such as Web and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) components are protected and authorized per the Java EE specification. The administrative components are internal to WebSphere Application Server and are protected by the role-based authorizer. The administrative components include the administrative console, MBeans, and other components such as naming and security. For more information on administrative security, see Role-based authorization.

When a JACC provider is used for authorization in WebSphere Application Server, all of the Java EE application-based authorization decisions are delegated to the provider per the JACC specification. However, all administrative security authorization decisions are made by the WebSphere Application Server default authorization engine. The JACC provider is not called to make the authorization decisions for administrative security.

When a protected Java EE resource is accessed, the authorization decision to give access to the principal is the same whether using the default authorization engine or a JACC provider. Both of the authorization models satisfy the J2EE specification, and function the same. Choose a JACC provider only when you want to work with an external security provider such as Tivoli® Access Manager. In this instance, the security provider must support the JACC specification and be set up to work with WebSphere Application Server. Setting up and configuring a JACC provider requires additional configuration steps, depending on the provider. Unless you have an external security provider that you can use with WebSphere Application Server, use the default authorization.